#Review - Kingdom of Today by Gena Showalter #Fantasy #Romance

Series: Book of Arden # 2
Format: Paperback, 351 pages
Release Date: December 2, 2025
Publisher: Montlake
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Fantasy / Romance / New Adult

When Arden Roosa returns to Fort Bala Royal Academy, nothing is as it was. No longer just a lady-in-training, she’s now the infamous girlfriend of High Prince Cyrus Dolion—and the woman who brought down a king. Her reward? Round-the-clock guards and the attention of a royal executioner with secrets. But Arden has secrets too. As a double agent slipping between worlds to decode forbidden prophecy, she knows what’s coming. Sleeping gods are stirring, and a war igniting. With only a spark, everyone will burn.

But nothing goes according to plan. Grueling trials consume her days, and dangerous questions stalk her nights. Worse, Cyrus—the fierce, unshakable warrior she might love—is unraveling, losing pieces of himself, becoming a stranger right before her eyes. Desperate to save him, Arden strikes a life-altering alliance…and everything spirals. Now the gods are no longer dreaming. They’re hunting. Time is running out, the end closer than anyone dares to admit. Unless Arden can stop what’s coming, Cyrus will open the door to true evil—and she’ll lose him forever.

Kingdom of Today is the second installment in author Gena Showalter's Book of Arden series. The story resumes shortly after the explosive events of Kingdom of Tomorrow, with protagonist Arden Roosa returning to the fortified enclave of Fort Bala. This sprawling, high-tech bastion hides a labyrinth of arcane secrets beneath its gleaming surface. Arden, the "sunshine girl with anxiety" who stole hearts in book one, is no longer the wide-eyed newcomer navigating combat trials and forbidden attractions. 

Now, she's a reluctant key to an ancient power awakening across fractured kingdoms, where souls can be bartered like currency and wars are waged not just with swords, but with the very essence of one's being. The central conflict revolves around Arden's deepening entanglement with the enigmatic High Prince Cyrus. Their grumpy-sunshine dynamic, which crackled with tension in the opener, evolves here into something rawer and more volatile, complicated by political machinations, betrayals within the secret society of soul-weavers, and a prophecy that positions Arden as both savior and sacrifice. 

As ancient powers stir—manifesting in vivid, otherworldly visions and trials that test the boundaries of reality—Arden must uncover a shocking enemy lurking in the shadows of her own alliances. The author also adds a bit of what one could call a triangle aspect to the series when she gives Domino Crane, a member of the Thune Society and a Librarian who seems to believe that Arden is the person who has the most chance to turn the page on out-of-control Gods who are waking up. 

What elevates this sequel is how Kingdom of Today expands the lore: We delve deeper into the kingdoms' interconnected histories, revealing how "today's" fragile peace stems from yesterday's wars—and tomorrow's potential apocalypse. The invisible library, a standout from book one, returns with mind-bending puzzles that blend riddle-solving with heart-stopping revelations. A few subplots feel rushed, potentially setting up future payoffs but leaving book two's emotional resolution slightly uneven. 

The prophecy-heavy plot can border on convoluted for newcomers (definitely read book one first), though Showalter's recaps help. We also delve deeper into the kingdoms' interconnected histories, revealing how "today's" fragile peace stems from yesterday's wars—and tomorrow's potential apocalypse. As I said, this book ends with a wild, action-packed finale as Arden gets closer to having to fight powerful enemies. I am kind of eager to see how the author answers the unopened storylines. 

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#Review - Kingdom of Tomorrow by Gena Showalter #Romance #Fantasy

Series: Book of Arden # 1
Format: 360 pages, Kindle Edition
Release Date: August 5, 2025
Publisher: Montlake
Source: Amazon
Genre: Fantasy, Romance

From New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter comes a fusion of modern and fantastical worlds, where a young woman must navigate a secret society, uncover a shocking enemy…and resist an undeniable attraction.

Twenty-year-old Arden Roosa knows only Ourland. Two worlds split and stitched together, with broken pieces from each, statues of fallen gods, and heavenly artifacts that are worshipped…or feared.

But nothing is more fearsome than the night.

A strange madness haunts the darkest hours, turning innocents into gleeful killers. Arden does her best to stay safe, until she reads a book written about her life―The Book of Arden―and everything changes.

Forced to join Fort Bala Royal Academy, Arden is paired with the ruthless High Prince Cyrus Dolion. But while he trains her for combat against a mystical adversary, she can’t deny the sparks burning between them.

If her panic attacks and war games aren’t enough, Arden is also tapped to join the Tome Society, rumored guardians of an invisible library with books that foretell the future. But the more she learns about the society, the less she understands about Ourland, the gods…and the person she’s destined to be.

Kingdom of Tomorrow is the first installment in author Gena Showalter's Book of Arden series. At its core, Kingdom of Tomorrow is a tale of worlds divided and desires ignited. The premise is that the world as we know it has been "ripped" in several places, not just to reveal but to haphazardly mingle with a parallel universe. Among other things, this has led to an epidemic that turns people into mindless, violent killers, and has created a food crisis and other scarcities because nothing can grow in the mixed soils from the two worlds. 

However, "Theirland" has also brought advances in pharmaceuticals, armaments, and nutrition science, which enable the resulting dictatorship to keep the population subdued in the name of safety through a combination of martial law and fear-induction psychology. Twenty-year-old Arden Roosa hails from Ourland, a seemingly ordinary slice of modern life where the nights are haunted by "the Madness"—a creeping insanity that claims victims without mercy. 

But Ourland is only half the story; it's stitched to Otherland, a fantastical mirror realm of ancient prophecies, secret societies, and hidden libraries that vanish like smoke. Arden's life upends when her mother's crippling debts force her to enroll in an elite military academy in Otherland, trading her quiet existence for combat trials and cryptic oaths. What begins as a reluctant quest for survival spirals into a labyrinth of revelations. Arden uncovers that the academy isn't just training soldiers—it's a gateway to a clandestine order that guards prophetic books foretelling the fate of both worlds. 

As she grapples with her emerging abilities (think subtle magic tied to intuition and shadows), she stumbles upon a shocking enemy: a force threatening to sever the stitch between realms forever, unleashing chaos on a global scale. Along the way, Showalter weaves in high-stakes intrigue, from invisible archives brimming with forbidden lore to ritualistic combats that test not just body, but soul. Mid-book, the action explodes with visceral fight scenes—swords clashing under enchanted moons, alliances fracturing like glass. 

Her relationship with High Prince Shiloh evolves from enemies to something more, which will likely be explored further. Arden isn’t fearless. She’s anxious. She overthinks. She often lets her emotions override logic. But that’s also what makes her real. She struggles to trust the people who care about her. She doubts herself. But every time she gets knocked down, there’s a moment of bravery that reminds you: she’s getting there. Arden is pulled by two different sides: One that she is supposed to be helping to protect, and one that has put a target on her back because of a library of books that tells the past and the future. 

By the finale, the twists hit like a storm: betrayals that reframe everything, cliffhangers that claw at your heart, and a prophecy reveal that promises epic fallout in book two, Kingdom of Today. It's not flawless—some plot threads, like the origins of the Madness, feel teasingly underdeveloped, leaving a few lingering holes that might frustrate detail-oriented readers.

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